Good Morning and welcome to the last Saturday Spotlight in November but the first of our "All Christmas thru Christmas" featured books.
I hope your Thanksgiving was Blessed and Happy.
Today's guest, M.E. Bakos hasn't visited in a while. She shared Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight with us back in 2019 so it is my pleasure to bring her back today with her debut romance book, The Perfect Match!
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Thanks, Pam. It's great to be back on your blog. I wrote The Perfect Match after a cousin suggested I write a romance. Why not? I asked myself. I had written and published several short romances for the Trues magazines back in the day, but had found cozy mystery novels to be my niche. My bucket list had always included writing a romance and now seemed to be the right time after publishing my last mystery.
With the encouragement of my BFF and many beta readers, The Perfect Match is the result. There is mystery and angst and a Hallmark happily-ever-after for everyone. I believe holiday romance readers will agree.
Here's the Blurb: Love, Pickleball, and a Dog Despiser
When Merry returns to her quaint hometown of Reindeer Falls, Minnesota, with a broken heart and adopts a fiercely loyal dog, she never expected her Aunt Liz to play matchmaker. But with a promise to her late mother to see Merry happily married by 30, Aunt Liz is determined to find her a perfect mate through her Nifty Knitters club, yoga class, and pickleball players. As Merry reluctantly goes on a series of disastrous blind dates, she finds herself drawn to her grumpy building super, Joel Connor, and his feline companion, Tom Kat. But with Joel's strict no-dog policy and the threat of eviction looming, Merry's chances at finding love seem slim. Will she be able to overcome the obstacles and find her happily ever after, or will she be left alone and homeless?
For fans of heartwarming small-town romances, “The Perfect Match” is a must-read. Buy now for a feel-good romance this holiday season!
And an Excerpt: Chapter 1
Merry
“It’s time for you to get out there and find a real Mr. Right,” Aunt Liz announced. “I promised your mother I would look out for you after she died. I vowed you would be married to a good man by the time you turned thirty. Time’s a-wasting.”
We were sitting on her deck and watching the ripples on Reindeer River as we talked. Two months earlier, I had settled into the pet-friendly apartment that she had found which was about six blocks from her house. I visited often with Fido; a small terrier rescue I had adopted. In my mind, his name was short for Fidelity. I wanted a male that would be faithful and loyal. Fido was true to his name by lunging at people or larger dogs who dared come near while we strolled the river walk. I loved it.
“Aunt Liz, that is old-fashioned. Women have more freedom now; they don’t have to be married.”
“Do you want a family?” She crossed her arms and fixed her gaze on me.
“A child would be nice.” I smiled.
“Do you want to raise a child on your own?”
“Well, no. I would want a male role model.”
“Then you want a husband.”
“The last one didn’t work out so well,” I grumbled. I was leery of getting married again. When I came by to leave my set of keys the day after moving out of the apartment Derrick and I shared, Sarah, my replacement, had answered the door. With Derrick watching in the background, I let loose a string of vile words, threw the keys over her shoulder at him, and followed with my wedding ring. It wasn’t my most mature moment. But it felt good.
“He was an ass,” she said.
“Yes. He was,” I admitted.
“It’s time you got out,” she stated. “Did the work, found a mate. You’re twenty-six, fast approaching thirty. After thirty-five, you’re a geriatric mother in the medical field.”
“That sounds dismal.” I frowned.
“It is. Let’s get started. I promised your mother.” She was firm and jutted her chin for emphasis. “Even if we weren’t close. Family takes care of family.”
“How?” I hadn’t dated for five years. On a lark, my college best friend and I had set up online profiles. We were far from our small-town high schools. That was where I met Derrick. We married, and I dropped out of full-time school while he finished his degree. I supported us and planned to go back to school, after he got a good job. Then he’d taken up with the hussy, as I now called her. That was probably unfair. It takes two. He was more to blame than she was. He had made the commitment.
“I don’t get it. People who go online,” Aunt Liz said. “Dating sites.” She sniffed. “That’s how you met that last clunker,” as she referred to my ex. “You could join a group.”
“I hate groups. I’m an introvert.”
“Yes, you are. We’ll work on it.” She arched one eyebrow and pursed her lips. “I’ll ask my knitting club. One of my friends should have an eligible candidate.”
I left her preoccupied with her mission to find me a husband and drove home with Fido. Upstairs, in my second-floor apartment in a funky 1920’s brownstone, I unpacked her care package and stowed the food, then took Fido out for a stroll. The weather was turning towards a long, glorious fall, with deep red oak and yellow maple leaves. The air was crisp, and I inhaled, and admired the bounty of colors. Gazing at the scenery, we strolled back. Fido strained at his leash on the sidewalk below the steps to the building and barked furiously at a man in the glassed entry wearing a brown jacket, and a baseball cap pulled low over his forehead.
It was Joel Connor, the maintenance man. The day I moved in, he had stuck out his hand and introduced himself, his deep dimples and kind blue eyes impressive. Charmed, I smiled at him. Since then, we had exchanged a nod and a hello as we passed each other while he worked. This day, a sleek black cat perched on his right shoulder and rode nonchalantly. The cat stiffened, and glared at Fido with luminous green eyes.
I hoisted Fido, who continued his frenzied barking and tucked him under my arm. He was portable, not quite a pocket pooch, but not too much bigger than the cat staring us down.
“Fido! Hush!” I kept my grip on him and stepped around Joel, who had opened the door for us.
“Your dog’s name is Fido? Not very imaginative for a dog.” Joel laughed.
“It’s a nickname.” I was defensive.
“This is Tom Kat,” he said, nodding towards the cat. “Kat with a K; that is as far as I got with a name. He was a stray, but friendly, and adopted me.” He chuckled. “I couldn’t find an owner, so I made Tom Kat the next in charge of the building.”
“Tom Kat,” I repeated. My brows rose, and Joel’s mouth stretched into a broad smile that crinkled from the corner of his twinkling eyes.
“That’s it.” He grinned as he held the cat while the animal burrowed into his neck. “He showed up one night. I fed him. He gulped the chow and took off. But then he knew he could get a free meal, and now he comes by every night. He sits on the fire escape outside my kitchen window and waits for his handout.”
Fido had quieted and stared at the cat. Tom Kat twisted and met his gaze, unblinking, ready to do battle. My grip tight, I shifted, and said, “I was happy to find a pet-friendly building in town.” The place was ideal, with its proximity to a walking path close to the riverfront and shopping a few blocks away. I could walk to my office. Fido had adapted to his new surroundings, and after eating and a stroll outside, slept on the sofa with the television tuned to cartoons. I was sure he was human, with four paws and a fur coat.
“A building that takes cats and dogs is rare.” He shrugged, placing a hand on the cat.
“Yes, I suppose it is.” I studied his expression and tilted my head. His tone had set off an alarm bell in my mind.
“Dogs are more vocal and need to be taken out. Sometimes they bark when they get lonely,” he remarked, stroking the cat. He sniffed, and his eyes became hooded as he surveyed the dog.
“If Fido barks a lot when I’m gone, call or text me. I can usually slip out. I work about five minutes away, at the real estate management company on Main Street.”
“Sure. The office has your number.” He shot me a brief smile. “I have to get back to work. There’s a plugged pipe in Apartment 105.”
“Of course. Is that fur on your jacket?”
“Yes.” He brushed the front of his coat and shrugged.
“My dog comes from a non-shedding breed of dogs.” I smiled and raised my brows. “No fur left on clothes or anywhere in the apartment.”
“Uh, huh. I have a pipe to fix,” he said, and turned toward the problem unit. Tom Kat still rode his shoulder, which I noticed was nicely squared.
My apartment was wedged in the corner of the second floor of the three-story building. Built before central air conditioning, the windows were long and narrow, with radiators that hissed and gurgled with hot water that spewed heat. He often toted a toolbox for repairs in the aging building.
“Sure.” I nodded and trekked the worn carpeted stairs to my place, and went inside, mulling over Joel’s odd tone when he said dogs were more trouble than cats. I gave Fido a treat and said, “Please don’t bark while I’m away. Joel doesn’t like dogs, and we both know that black cat isn’t a fan.”
At least, I had gotten in a dig about cat fur. Any pet could have problems. The little dog raced away with the treat, ate it happily, then jumped on the couch and burrowed into the throw for a nap.
How sweet! Thanks for sharing. Now tell us more about yourself and where we can find, The Perfect Match.
Sure! Here you go...
The Perfect Match is the first romance novel penned by M. E. Bakos. She hopes you will enjoy celebrating the holiday season with Joel, Merry, Tom Kat, and Fido in quaint Reindeer Falls.
Her cozy mystery series: Fatal, Deadly, Lethal, Killer, and Mortal Flip feature a house flipper turned sleuth in fictional Crocus Heights, Minnesota. The series has light romantic entanglement in every book. Mary lives in Minnesota with her husband, Joe, and a spoiled pooch named Chipper.
You can reach her at mebakos@yahoo.com
Website: https://mebakos.wixsite.com/author
She loves hearing from readers!
Perfect (no pun intended LOL!) Thank you, again for sharing your book in our All Christmas thru Christmas feature here on Saturday Spotlight. We wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and good luck, God's blessings and lot's of book sales!
Thank you for this opportunity, Pam! Wishing you and yours Happy Holidays as well.
That wraps it up for today, Friends.
Until next week, take care, God Bless and remember to keep the holidays, holy days.
PamT
